Many health woes common in autistic adults: Study

CHICAGO (AP) — A new study says autistic adults are much more likely than others to suffer from depression, high blood pressure, obesity and other health woes.

Scientists say that might partly result from their social isolation.

These adults also are much less likely to smoke and drink alcohol. That could mean that their biologic makeup contributes to some of the illnesses.

The study is one of the largest to examine the health of autistic adults and highlights a need for better strategies to treat them. That's according to lead author and scientist Lisa Croen of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research.

The study is based on medical records for 2,100 adults with autism and 21,000 non-autistic adults. It was prepared for release Wednesday at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta.